


This Future

by ami_ven



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Community: mcsheplets, Episode: s04e20 The Last Man, Established Relationship, Future Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-18
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2019-02-16 13:01:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13054533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ami_ven/pseuds/ami_ven
Summary: “That was the first time I knew I loved you.”





	This Future

**Author's Note:**

> Written for LJ community "mcsheplets" prompt #269 "manipulate"

“I am getting too old for this,” Rodney grumbled, lowering himself to sit on the pier beside John. “Where’s the beer?”

“Didn’t bring any,” said John. “I came out here to think.”

“Oh. Did you… should I go?”

A hand landed on his knee, gentle but firm. “No,” said John. “Stay. I always want you to stay.”

“Always?” Rodney asked. When John didn’t reply, he asked, softly, “What were you thinking about?”

“Time,” said John. “I was thinking about Old Rodney.”

“I _am_ Old Rodney,” his husband said.

“No, the hologram of you, from the alternate future.” John paused. “He was about as old as we are now.”

“Ah,” said Rodney. “Is that good or bad?”

“Both. Neither. I don’t know.”

“Well, that clears that up.”

“I _mean_ ,” said John. “It’s not the future now. We’re the future, and that didn’t happen. But I just… I understand why he did it, now. I didn’t before.”

“What didn’t you understand?” Rodney asked, gently.

“Why he’d give up his entire life, manipulate _time_ , just to bring me back. I mean, you’d saved me dozens of times by then, but that was different. This was just…”

“Just what?” demanded Rodney.

“I never…” John began. “I’d never thought I was worth someone’s entire life.”

Rodney’s expression softened, and he covered John’s hand, still resting on his knee, with his own. “You’re just figuring that out now?”

“I’m a slow learner,” said John, with the ghost of a smile.

“Is that why you’re out here?”

“I hadn’t thought about it – about him – for a long time. But this morning, when we woke up, you smiled at me… and it reminded me of the hologram, how _different_ you were from him. And it got me thinking.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Yeah,” John said, slowly. “I… that day, when I got back to my own time and I saw you, that was the first time I knew I loved you.”

“John…”

“That was the first time I _knew_ it,” John repeated. “I’d loved you for… I don’t even know how long.”

“ _John_ ,” said Rodney, squeezing his hand. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I couldn’t exactly explain something I didn’t understand myself. And then, I hadn’t said anything, so I couldn’t say anything, so… It all worked out, didn’t it?”

Rodney leaned in to kiss him, slow and gentle. “Yeah,” he said. “Yeah, it did.”

THE END


End file.
